Standardisation

I follow the courses of an economical university. among these courses, I have found many interesting concepts: globalisation, consumer preferences and marginal consumption. While we have studied those for obvious economical reasons, I have also found in them a... human factor.

Sure, in "consumer preferences" it is quite obvious. If a person likes a product, wants it and can afford it, chances are he/she will buy it. But in other concepts it is a bit more elusive. Still it is there. But what amazes me is that, with all the mathematical and economic formulas and calculations, human reaction is still a big factor in economy.

But one concept that I haven't seen yet is standardisation. Strangely enough, it is a concept that seems to have engourged us all, but no one seems to notice. It starts off with the toothbrush that we use every morning. It has been standardised to fit in a certain toothbrush category. Soon to follow, is the breakfast that we all have. We all eat it on some form of table. Again we all seem to agree that a flat surface with 4 legs is just the right thing for the job of sustaining our food , books, laptops etc.

Once we get in the car, the standardisation continues: seatbelt, chair (leather or the cheaper stuff), steering wheel, conveniently "standing apart" by the use of a different brand's details embeded in it. And then the road signs. Then the... well, you get ideea.

We all silently sucombe to these standards. We all accept them. We sometimes throw stones at those who break these norms and standards. Other times, we praise them. When a man runs a red light, he's penalised. When an artist thinks up some new form for a table, he gets acclaim for it.

Why do our reactions differ when being confrunted with the same concept? Well, some standards are there to prevent us from hurting, bothering or getting in the way of eachother, while others just arise because of common practice. So I guess one could say we just have... standard reactions.